Our British Comedy Yulefest Dinner and Show is just around the corner… it opens this Saturday 1st July at the Metropole Katoomba, and runs throughout the month.

This is our 6th Yulefest season, for some reason they keep on asking us back!

Opening night on the 1st has only a handful of tickets left – and there aren’t many more available for rest of the dates – so if you are part of a British Comedy fan-club, best grab the rest of the mob and book those tickets.

As a very special treat for Yulefest Blue Mountains 2017, Goon Show fans are to be entertained by the episode ‘Christmas Crackers‘ which was written by Spike Milligan for inclusion in BBC Radio’s Christmas Day broadcast of 1953.

The casts of several then current comedy series performed short sketches on the subject of Christmas in general and Christmas Crackers in particular.

This sketch performed by the Goons was recorded at the same time as The Giant Bombardon (series 4, ep. 13), on Sunday 20 December of that year.

As far as it can be ascertained, this Goons sketch was never rebroadcast and are no known recordings of it.

The original script still exists, and is part of the Sir. Elton John Collection. Elton John bought the original scripts at auction in 1981 for £14,000. With Sir Elton’s permission, The Goon Show Preservation Society was able to scan this important Goons document.

Opening night for our night of British Comedy dinner and show for Yulefest Blue Mountains, is sooo close. It’s on this Saturday 1st July at the Metropole Katoomba.

As a special treat for those who book for the first night, we are thrilled to present Mr. Vent Thomas who toured with Spike Milligan as his Stage Director in 1984/5; one New Zealand and two Australian tours. They were Spike’s ‘Final Farewell Tour’ and ‘Second Final Farewell Tour’.

After the show, Vent will take the stage to remember some of his experiences of travelling and working with Spike. Vent says, “There are a ton of stories from those tours. Touring with Spike was of course the land of never a dull moment.”

Some of Vent’s stories include;

The time that Spike went walkabout before opening night in Canberra; a show that the Prime Minister was attending

Spike’s intolerance of journalists

The challenges of finding suitable accommodation for Spike

Why Spike had to be locked-up in the dressing rooms at the Theatre in Alice Springs

After a live interview, there will be a short Q&A.

To whet your appetite, here’s an ABC recording of Spike in his element when he played the Octagon Theatre at the University of WA in 1984. (Apologies for the quality, but well worth the time)